Railway mail crane



' unirse s'rATss PATA-.Nr oem-CE. if

WILLIAM S. DAVIDSON, DECEASED, BY ANNA L. NEAL, ADMINISTRATRIX, OF

PHILADELPHIA, TENNESSEE. v

' RAILWAY MAIL CRANE.

T 0 all w/Lom t may concern;

Be it known that I, ANNA L. NEAL, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Loudon. and Stateof Tennessee,-being administratrix of the esta-te of WILLIAM S.DAVIDSON, deceased, who invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway Mail Cranes, do'hereby declare thaty the following is a full,clear, and exactl description of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in railway mail cranes andparticularly to the typeof mail crane forming the-subject matter ofLetters Patent of the United States No. 1,192,872, issued to William S.Davidson on August 1st, 1916. n

The purpose of this invention is to simplify and perfect certain detailsof construction in the said patented crane, one object being to housethe flexible overhead pouch support in the hollow standard or mast ofthe crane.` y

A further object is to utilize a chain in the' mast as a counterweightforfretracting the overhead iexible pouch. supportto safety positionafter the lpouch has been delivered.

A further object is to mount the mast or tubular standard in a cast baseanchored in or to Aafconcrete foundation and ,v provided with an openinggiving access to a chain fastening by means ofwhich the chain in themast may be secured in the desired pouch supporting position.

A further object of this invention is to utilize a horizontally swingingsafety rod asa means for. controlling the movements of the tie chain orflexible connectionwhich is attached to the bottom of the mail pouch,this safety rod being pivotally mounted on a bracket on the mast which`preferably serves both as an anchorage for the guy chain and as asupport for a lantern. A

The invention also comprises various de-A tails of construction andarrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which Fig. 1illustrates theapparatus in elevation'supporting a mail pouch inposition to be delivered to the tra-in.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2,1922.

Application mea June 1o, 1919. serial' No. 303,231.

F ig. 2 is a detail view of the bracket for the safety rod.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

As illustrated, my improved crane comprises a mast 1 formed of pipe oralike tubular body which at its lower end is securely clamped in thesplit upper end 2 of the base 3, this split upper end being providedwith pairs of clamp lugs 4 through which bolts 5 are passed, and whentightened serve .to

rigidly clamp the mast in position in the V base. The base itselfismounted on a concrete foundation 6 and is securely attached thereto byanchor bolts 7. The base is cast with an elongated bottom flange 8project-V ing a substantial distance from the base on its side oppositethe track 9. The side `of the basetowards the track is cast with anopening 10 formed to give access to a chamber therein in which a pulleychain 11 or equivalent flexible lelementis exposed and at its lower endis made fast to an anchor bolt 12 secured in the foundation 6:- Thechain-is passed upwardly through the mast and over a pulley 13 journaledon a pin 14 in a top tubular arm 15 formed by a casting which is adaptedto close the top of the mast andl to be clamped thereto by bolt-s 16passing through clamping lugs or ears 417. yThe chain after passing overthe pulley 13 continues through the tubular arm and Vabout a pulley 18ournaled in the outer end of the arm and thence passes downwardlythrough an opening 19. This opening 19 is elonat its freerend with anelongated slot/27 which is connected to theispring link 2O at the'top ofthe tie chain 28, which chain at its lower end is'made fast to a crosstie 29 or other suitable anchorage.. Y Tofeach of the spring links 20 isconnected a pouch spring 30 formed by a spring loop, the spread ends ofwhich are adapted to be p-assed through rings 31 at the top and bottomof the mail pouch 32.l The mast also carries above the lamp bracket a.guy hook 33 suitably clamped or made fast to the mast and over whichthe guy chain 2l works. The clamp member 23 towards the track is roundedat 34 to provide a suitable attachment for the safety rod 26 which hasan enlarged eye 35 adapted to slip over lthe clamp member and which'willpermit the rod to swing freely horizontally when the bracket members areclamped to the mast.

Within the upper portion of the open chamber in the base 3 I provide aslotted plate or web forming a chain fastener 36, this being preferablycast integral with the base and having the slot just large enough toreceive a link of the chain when inserted edgewise therethrough and toengage the under link so as to fasten the chain therein while leaving itfree to'be drawn outwardly and disengaged by the operator.

Having set up the apparatus in the manner described the chain ll` isreleased from its fastener 36 and is drawn down by the guy chain untilthe upper pouch spring is in convenient reach so that it may be insertedin the upper ring of the pouch. Thelower pouch spring is then raised andpassed .l through the lower pouch .ring 3l'and the chain 'is drawndownwardly thro-ugh the mast until the pouch is supported in the mannershown, whereupon thejchain is made vsecure in the fastener 36 and theVapparatus isl ready to deliver the pouch to the passing train.Immediately after thev pouch 'has been `detached from its fastenings,the weight of the chain vinthe mast, being sufficiently greater thanthat hanging from the top' of the Vmast, will immediately act 'as acounterweight to draw the free end of chain 11 and theV guy chain 2l tothe dotted line position shown in Fig. l, and atthe same time the safetyrod 26 and -the tie chain 28 will fall away downwardly to a safeposition. The arrangement of the chain in the tubular mast and theutilizationA of the chain -asi a counterweight are important features inthe durability and simplicity ofthe 'apyparatus.

Thisinvention' is not intended to befrestricted in scope to the specificembodiments shown,VV but contemplates such modifications as come Ywithinthe spirit yandscope of the claims.

'cI-laying thus described invention,

What I claim as new and'desire to'secure by Letters Patent, ism

1 1.v lThe combination, in a device for delivf4v I l erin'gjarticles toa rmoving train, of-'a hollow mas'tgcarryingan overhung arvmand sheavesat its'upgper end and havinga hollow base,

means to clamp the mast to the base which will permit the mast underabnormal thrust strains on the arm to turn about'a vertical aXis in saidbase, a flexible member which extends. upwardly through said mast andover said sheaves with its free end suspended from said arm, means toanchor `the end of the HeXible member that is disposed within the mast,means on the free end of said flexi- .ble member adapted to releasablysupport the articles to be delivered, and a releasable bottom fasteningmeans for said article'.V

2. In a devicelfor' delivering articles to a moving train, a hollow castbase having a side opening, means Vtoanchor said base,"a mast formed byraV pipe'clampedin the top of said base andhaving a tubular top arm', JachainV which works through' saidarml with one portion hanging downwardlythrough said pipe,`means to anchor the lower endof said'chainfportioninposition to be accessible through the opening in! said base, meanscarried by the other 'end of'the chain for' releasably supporting thearticle to'be for the crane,a tubular arm mounted onthe top of the mast,vand means to'clamp sa'i'd arm to the mast, sheaves in said arm',apulley chain anchored near' the bottom of the base and passingfreelyupwardly throughV the mast and over said sheaves in the tubulararm, 'a releasable mail 'pouch'f-supporting means carried by the freeend of the'chain, a guy chain connecting said-"latter end of the pulleychain 'to the mast, aktie Vchain having suitable anchorage means for'itslower end andreleasable pouch'k engaging means at its upper end, a"safety" rod 'connected to the upper end ofthe tieV chain, means toswivelly connect/#said rod to the mast, and a slotted plate'. in thebase forming a chain fastener disposed 'abovethean-4 chorage means inthe pulley'chain, substan-l tially as described. j' A I e Y- 4l. In arailway mail crane, a foundation, a hollow casting anchored on said`foundation and having an open chamber for acounterweight andyieldableyclamp jaws-at upperiend, a -vertical mast having its lower end mountedin saidclampj...jaws at the top of "the base, an'overhungzlarm 'at thetop fof the mast, a flexible connection havingthe counterweight elementmounted 'in lsaid base, saidy connection'being passed upithrough' thepipe and 'having'its free :endsuspended'from' 1,414,690- Y Y. f f 3ksaid arm, means on the free end of said eon-V In testimony whereof, I axmy signanecton to detachably support a 'mail bag, ture.

means to releasably hold the lower end of a ANNA L. NEAL, mail beg kwhensuspended from said con- Adm'iwish'wwz'm of the estate of W. S. Dar/via?neotion, and means n the hollow'base to enson, deceased.

gage said connection and support the bag at Witness:

the desired elevation. A. F. MCCRARY.

